Perseverance, half-time and the genius of Willie

by Chris Aaland

Perseverance. My thesaurus tells me that it can also mean insistence, urgency, firmness, resolve and determination. My gut tells me this describes the 10 people who braved the elements (or lacked general common sense) in order to attend my Super Bowl party last Sunday.

The football gods rewarded us with perhaps the greatest Super Bowl of all time, what with the upset, a late-game drive, a defensive struggle in a year that saw offenses rule the roost, and a no-frills-attached Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers halftime show … what more could you ask for?

Well, you could ask for a menu that included:

• The obligatory prep-cooking Bloody Mary or three with Goat vodka

• Cool Ranch Doritos

• Toasted bruschetta topped with a golden tomato salsa, marinated pheasant breasts grilled medium rare and sliced thin, fresh mozzarella and basil

• Black pepper-crusted venison hind quarter steaks, marinated in Woody’s Cook’n’ Sauce and grilled medium rare

• Pheasant pot pie

• Grilled Sockeye salmon in a mayonnaise Dijon sauce

• Elk stew with noodles

• Green chile with pork and pheasant

• Steve Miller’s infamous spice cake

• A beer fridge stocked with 10 different Durango microbrews, an 18-pack of Tecate and countless PBRs

• Dirty Jackelope martinis

Snow? Who’s afraid of a little snow? We persevered like Iron Chefs. And I have the leftovers to prove it, minus a big, empty gin bottle.

The same perseverance saw thousands show up for Snowdown events when snowfall rendered most Durango streets impassable. Crossroads were nearly useless, with the powdery buildup turning most viaducts into one-and-a-half lanes at best. Still, folks found a way to park 10 blocks from downtown and still pack Main Avenue for the parade … and downtown bars for spirits to warm up during the uncommonly cold season.

Here’s to the crazies who packed the Summit and Carver’s for last Friday gigs by local rockers Aftergrass and the Lawn Chair Kings. And here’s to the hard-working crews that plowed the path for us to stumble down.

Another way that Durango perseveres is by supporting causes that touch our hearts. Saturday night gives us one of these opportunities, as the Abbey Theatre hosts the WildWords concert benefiting Durango Nature Studies. Music will be provided by Danny Schmidt, winner of the Kerrville New Folk award; Carrie Elkin, a gifted songstress who has performed on the Lillith Fair; and Sally Shuffield, a local performer whose music crosses the bluegrass and folk boundaries.

Perhaps the week’s biggest live music event happens on Friday night at the Summit, as ska legends The Toasters take the stage. The Toasters are America’s longest-running ska band, having honed their skills back in 1981 at CBGB’s in New York.

Last night, Ska Brewing hosted the release party for its DIFF Belgian wit beer, with live music and commemorative DIFF pint glasses. Proceeds from the event benefited the Durango Independent Film Festival, scheduled for Feb. 27 - March 2. DIFF is a traditional unfiltered Belgian wit, spiced with orange peel, coriander and lemongrass. DIFF won’t be on the shelves long, so enjoy it while you can and support a great local event while you’re at it.

Don’t wait too long to get your Willie Nelson tickets. The Red-Headed Stranger returns to the Four Corners for a 7:30 p.m. gig on Sun., Feb. 17, at McGee Park in Farmington. All 600 VIP tickets have sold out, but several thousand cheaper seats remain. Call (505) 325-5415 to buy tickets. Willie isn’t getting any younger — he turns 75 this year — and opportunities to see him regionally are limited to every few years.

I haven’t set foot into McGee Park since 1987, when my roommate Shawn Nichols and I headed south for a cultural opportunity that Durango wouldn’t afford us: monster trucks and tractors. Three things haven’t faded from my memory of that winter day 20 years ago: the nose hair-burning smell of racing alcohol, ear-drum shattering decibels and thousands of rednecks wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with tricked-out tractors, trucks and stock cars. I’m sure some of those same folks will be in attendance at Willie, no doubt sporting similar attire.

That’s the genius of Willie – he appeals to all walks of life. Rednecks, bikers, hippies, ski bums, college professors, teen-agers and senior citizens all share a common love for the man. He simply transcends cultural and socioeconomic boundaries. He’s an icon.

So, in honor of Willie’s McGee Park hoedown, here are 10 reasons to shell out the coin and drive to Farmington:

1. Willie has smoked more pot than anyone you know. And he’s proud of it, serving as co-chair of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

2. He started Willie Nelson Bio-Diesel, a company that sells bio-diesel fuel to truck stops.

3. Farm Aid. Nobody has championed the plight of the American family farmer and rancher like Willie.

4. He has his own flavor of Ben & Jerry’s called “Willie Nelson’s Country Peach Cobbler.” Every stoner should aspire to such heights.

5. Willie also has his own bourbon. “Old Whiskey River Bourbon” is marketed with a bandana-style paper seal and an autographed guitar pick.

6. During the 1950s and ’60s, he worked as a Nashville songwriter, penning the likes of “Crazy,” “Night Life” and “Hello Walls” which became hits for Patsy Cline, Ray Price and Faron Young, respectively.

7. He inspired countless Texas songwriting legends, including Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Robert Earl Keen, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Jerry Jeff Walker. Many of these folks shared the stage with Willie at Austin’s Armadillo World Headquarters in the 1970s.

8. Wouldn’t you want to hang out with Jessica Simpson while she wore those Daisy Dukes?

9. Outlaw country. Willie and Waylon and the boys. They rescued country music in the mid-1970s.

10. His cameo appearance at the end of “Beerfest” … the most underrated movie of all time. •

Ever mail a card to mother and then send them chickens down the other side? E-mail me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.